The fourth season of the acclaimed cable TV series chronicles the difficulties of Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and his partners, who struggle to keep their own upstart advertising agency afloat on a minimal portfolio of accounts that barely pay the bills. Meanwhile, Don faces life after divorce; ex-wife Betty (January Jones) is as brittle as ever dealing with their increasingly anxious daughter (Kiernan Shipka); and copywriter Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and office manager Joan (Christina Hendricks) try to find their place in what's still a boys' club. This award-winning show is set in the turbulent 1960s, where the times are a changin', but corporate life remains much the same, and only Don and junior partner Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) seem to have any vision outside the box. As in the previous seasons, the show uses the ad world setting to explore social roles, sexual identity, self-awareness, responsibility, and disenchantment with the promise of the American dream—especially for those who seem to have it all but still find themselves unfulfilled. Mad Men is as good as television gets: smart, complex, relevant, and superbly crafted. Compiling all 13 episodes from 2010, extras include episode audio commentaries by creator Matthew Weiner and cast/crew members, and featurettes on divorce in the 1960s, Draper's business style (with comments from corporate executives), and two real-life ad campaigns from the '60s. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Mad Men: Season Four
Lionsgate, 611 min., not rated, DVD: 4 discs, $49.98; Blu-ray: 3 discs, $49.99 Volume 26, Issue 3
Mad Men: Season Four
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